Nowadays, kidney-tonifying medicines are everywhere on the market, with enough yang-tonifying and yin-nourishing options to fill an entire medicine cabinet. But when it comes to Chinese patent medicines that can tonify both yin and yang, they're truly rare. Yet in clinical practice, a lot of people suffer from dual deficiency of yin and yang—these folks often feel both cold and hot, lack energy during the day, have trouble sleeping at night, get heat symptoms when taking yang-tonifying medicines, and get diarrhea when taking yin-nourishing medicines. Isn't that frustrating?

Actually, pharmacies hide two "unsung heroes" that aren't frequently recommended by staff because of their low profit margins. Let's start with Huanshao Dan; experienced pharmacists know it's a formula for "tonifying both the spleen and kidneys." In the formula, cooked rehmannia is like adding fuel to the fire for the kidneys, Chinese yam specifically boosts the spleen and stomach's transportation and transformation functions, and when combined with astringent herbs like wolfberry and Cornus officinalis, it's especially suitable for those who feel like their waist and legs are heavy as lead, always have ringing in the ears, have no appetite, and are losing weight. I had a long-term patient, a retired teacher, who suffered from chronic cold pain in the waist and knees. After taking this for three months, he can now go square dancing with his wife.

Now, let's talk about Gui Lu Er Xian Glue (Turtle Shell and Deer Antler Two Immortals Glue). This formula is quite sophisticated—turtle shell nourishes yin, deer antler tonifies yang, one yin and one yang like the two poles of a Taiji diagram. Paired with wolfberries to nourish liver blood and Codonopsis (dangshen) to boost middle qi, it’s most suitable for people whose "essence, qi, and spirit" are all leaking. For example, some friends whose temples turn gray at a young age, whose vision is blurry as if covered by a layer of fog, whose teeth are so loose they dare not bite an apple—these typical manifestations of kidney essence deficiency are exactly what it’s meant for. Last year, there was a young programmer in his early thirties who had severe hair loss. After taking it continuously for six months, his hair noticeably became thicker and darker.

However, I must remind everyone, Chinese herbal medicine is not a snack—it must be used according to the pattern. For instance, when you have a cold and fever, or when your tongue coating is so thick you could scrape off a couple of ounces, definitely don’t rush to tonify. If you're unsure about your constitution, it’s best to consult a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner to check your pulse—after all, the treasures left by our ancestors only show their true power when used correctly, don’t you think?